Funeral “From These Wounds” CD

Though somehow only my first exposure to the band, "From These Wounds" is the fourth full-length release from longstanding (and quite aptly-named) Norwegian doom act Funeral (on Candlelight Records). And tragically it would seem that the band has absolutely horrible luck, as they recorded this material—their first album since the death of original bassist Einar Frederiksen in 2002—only to suffer the sudden loss of founding guitarist Christian Loos late last year prior to the record's release. This leaves drummer Anders Eek as the only remaining original member, and the band has chosen to soldier on to honor the legacies of those ex-members lost. With a band name like Funeral one would likely expect pure and total doom, which is—at least to some degree—the case here in terms of lengthy compositions (averaging eight to nine minutes apiece), moderately slow tempos, and densely churning power chords and lead melodies... but it's not quite that simple. While of course crushingly heavy on some level, the melodic sensibilities within the riffing (and the surprisingly tactful uses of "orchestral" synths) lend a different kind of vibe to the material alongside the vocals—which are a deep, monotone form of oft-harmonized singing as opposed to any "growling" or what have you. This creates a morose, depressing kind of atmosphere that tends to dominate the more aggressive backbone of the work, and creates a nice balance in the process. It's consistent and linear, but without necessarily feeling like a one-sided release. So while it's not particularly original, it's not wholly standard as far as "doom" is concerned either, and there really are some quite nice little melodies and moving senses of emotion throughout the well-layered flow of the compositions. Well done.

Funeral "Vagrant God"

As always, purchase a copy for yourself if you like what you hear:

Candlelight Records
The End Records